Why should you take care of your beard regularly?
Some neophytes and other sceptics have already asked us the following question: why maintain your beard? We answer in detail in this article, but first here are a few details!
To begin with, it is important to bear in mind that beards can take on different forms depending on the person, the care we give them and the age we are. Depending on these different factors, our beard can be long or short, rough or soft, full or sparse... So, as with the body, the face, or the hair, taking care of your beard can be an important asset, depending on whether you want to make it more aesthetic or allow it to grow properly. So, you'll understand the need to have an effective routine to help it achieve your goals, although some may prefer to leave it wild, but that can bring its share of inconveniences! So, we're going to detail the four main reasons to maintain your facial hair. For those of you who are convinced, look at our article on how to maintain your beard to adopt a simple and effective routine for a fleece worthy of the king of the jungle!
Hygiene: Why clean your beard?
Let's start with the obvious: why clean your beard? It may seem evident, but hygiene is one of the main reasons to clean your beard. After all, who hasn't had a piece of crisp stuck between the hairs of their beard? And that's not all: food, drink, pollution, bacteria, dust of various sizes (PM, UFP, etc.), all this cocktail inevitably finds its way into your beard, which biologically acts as a protection, an insulator, and a filter, preventing unwanted stuff from reaching your mouth, but also keeping the heat in during winter. So, as with your hair, a thorough cleaning is important to prevent these foreign particles from damaging your hair, but also the skin of your face, which has become the basis of your beard, which can be very sensitive for some people. Some people prefer to go for the basics, using their 3-in-1 hair/body/toothpaste shower gel. We are exaggerating of course, but the composition of a body soap is not adapted to the cleaning of hair, and if some won’t see any difference, others will feel it very quickly, because the body soap risks strongly to dry the beard and the root of hair very similar to a scalp, having sometimes a more harmful effect than a simple cleaning with water. For this, beard soaps such as our range of organic donkey milk soaps will be more effective, providing ingredients with active principles that compensate for the scouring impact of soaps.
How to prevent your beard from itching: The discomfort of a dry beard
Often, when you're new to pogonophilia, you may suffer from discomfort and wonder how to prevent your beard from itching. But first, why does it itch? The reason is very simple: your beard is dry, and so is the skin that serves as its base. This can be due to a lack of maintenance or, conversely, to frequent cleaning. Because, naturally, it is your body that takes care of its maintenance through the secretion of sebum, a fatty secretion that covers the skin and the hairs to act as a protector and selector of the micro-organisms present on your epidermis, but also of dehydration. We are not going to give you a biology lesson, but the water contained in our body remains there thanks to the cumulative work of the epidermis, which acts as a physical barrier, but also of sweat and sebum, which, as a fatty body, is therefore hydrophobic and acts as a barrier preventing water molecules from escaping from the epidermis. Without this lipidic film, water escapes from the cells of your dermis, and the skin dries out. Irritation occurs, and itching begins to cause you discomfort. In addition, the similar effect on the hair will make it coarse and brittle, as it draws water from its roots (like a plant that is not watered), resulting in a tight beard. It is therefore important, to moisturise your skin and hair, and to recreate this lipidic film with oils, waxes, butters, and other fatty substances, such as those present in our beard oils and balms. These will on the one hand nourish the hair thanks to the vegetable oils contained in our products, and on the other hand recreate this fine protective layer, stripped off by too regular washing, or having difficulties in being secreted naturally due to a too polluted environment for example.
The other reason for itching can be the growth of new hair. If you start to grow your beard after years of shaving or if you are still young, the growth of hair can cause a lot of discomfort, and for this reason oils and balms can alleviate the unpleasant sensations, but with good maintenance this should pass with time.
To sum up: the application of beard oils and balms are a good way to prevent irritation and itching, especially for dry skin.
How to encourage beard growth?
Now that we know that maintaining facial hair helps to avoid discomfort and to keep it clean, we can ask ourselves how to encourage beard growth, and this is the third reason to maintain it! Indeed, there is no miracle cure that can make the beard grow, especially in areas where it has never grown. However, you must give it the means to grow. Like a plant in nutrient-poor soil that receives little water, it will go into a state of stasis and thus pause its growth. In the same way, your beard needs to be given the means to grow, and these means include regular cleaning (dermatologists recommend 2 to 4 washes per week), a supply of nutrients through oils and balms or regular brushing to distribute the sebum throughout your hair (especially for long beards), and generally a healthy lifestyle - sleep cycles, diet, hygiene, stress,sport with the secretion of testosterone, etc. are all factors that can alter or help the growth of your beard. With respect for your body and its needs, you have the recipe to promote the growth of your beard, with a secret ingredient not previously mentioned: patience.
Maintain your beard to have beautiful hair!
Finally, the last reason to maintain your beard is to have beautiful hair! Yes, it's redundant, but a well-tended beard will be supple and shiny! It's obvious, but if you don't want to have a beard worthy of a Pogona Vitticeps, you should at least brush it, and maintain it daily so that it is uniform and beautiful. Regular cleaning and moisturising are essential!
So, if we want to summarize, the 4 reasons to maintain your beard are hygiene, hydration to avoid discomfort, growth, and finally style! However, to each his own style, to each his own routine, but don't hesitate to check out our other blog posts for advice on beard shampoo routines, the uses of a balm or oil, and more!